This page contains affiliate links. Please read our disclosure for more info.
Food is a universal need and one of the intrinsic pleasures of life, but often this feels as though it has been forgotten in a world where fast and cheap are prized over quality. Italians understand the importance of food, are passionate about what they eat, and obsessed with the quality of the food they put into their bodies.
In Tuscany we were struck by the creative simplicity of the cooking; how a few humble items are transformed into spectacular meals. This isn’t food that needs expensive ingredients—it’s a cuisine that originates from Tuscany’s peasant roots when farmers had to make the best of the ingredients they grew in their gardens or foraged from the fields, even incorporating leftovers like stale bread, that nowadays we’d just throw away. This cucina povera style of cooking has been passed on through the generations because it’s delicious, healthy, economical, and environmentally friendly—you can’t get more local.
We are vegetarian so our Tuscan food highlights focus on meat-free antipasti (starters) and primi (first courses).
Traditional Tuscan Dishes
These first five dishes are typical to the Tuscany region.
1) Pappa al Pomodoro
Pappa al pomodoro shows off the Tuscan’s ingenious use of stale bread and ability to turn basic ingredients into something special. It’s a simple but filling soup of stale bread and tomatoes with garlic, basil and olive oil. It’s often so thick that you have to eat it with a fork.
Here the soup was unusually served with involtini di melanzana e mozzarella – thin slices of grilled aubergine stuffed with melty mozzarella.
Where: We enjoyed this pappa al pomodoro at Osteria Boccon del Prete, Via San Pietro 17, Siena. We also learnt to make the soup on our cooking course in the Garfagnana as part of our Sapori e Saperi food tour.
2) Panzanella
Like pappa al pomodoro, panzanella is a fantastic summer dish using tomatoes and stale bread (which is soaked in water). The salad usually has red onion, basil and perhaps cucumber added and is seasoned with olive oil, wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
Where: We learnt to make panzanella on our cooking course and often made it for lunch at home to use up old bread.
3) Ribollita
Ribollita is another thick, comforting soup packed with beans, vegetables, stale bread (again!) and flavoured with olive oil. It’s usually served in winter.
Where: Osteria da Cice, Via San Pietro 32, Siena.
4) Scarpaccia di Camaiore
We had never heard of Scarpaccia di Camaiore before but it was our favourite dish on our cooking course. It’s a courgette (zucchini) tart made with courgettes and their flowers, onion, flour, water, olive oil and seasoning. It turns crisp, golden and tasty when baked in the oven.
Where: We learnt to make this on our cooking course in the Garfagnana area of Tuscany where it originates from.
5) Pici Cacio e Pepe
Pici are thick hand-rolled pasta like fat spaghetti that originate from the province of Siena in Tuscany. Cacio e pepe means cheese and pepper and although it’s a Roman pasta dish it has been adapted to Tuscany by using the local pasta and pecorino toscano cheese.
In this Siena restaurant we discovered our love of this creamy, peppery comfort food; simple but decadent, and went on to eat lots more of it in Rome.
Where: Osteria da Cice, Via San Pietro 32, Siena.
Other Italian Dishes
We enjoyed these dishes in Tuscany but they aren’t specific to this region of Italy.
6) Crostini with Buffalo Mozzarella, Tomato and Rocket
We enjoyed various crostini and bruschette (toasted bread with toppings) in Tuscany but the absolute best was this melt in the mouth buffalo mozzarella with flavourful tomatoes, rocket, and peppery olive oil. Simple but utterly delicious.
Where: Osteria Boccon del Prete, Via San Pietro 17, Siena.
7) Carpaccio di Zucchini
This starter of thinly sliced courgette with lemon, olive oil, parsley and parmesan shavings was bursting with flavour. We loved this cosy family-run trattoria away from the tourist crowds in Florence.
Where: Al Tranvai, Piazza Torquato Tasso, San Frediano, Florence.
8) Linguine All’arrabiata
This classic Italian pasta sauce of tomato, chilli and garlic was wonderfully spicy. As always I’m in awe of how Italians make a few ingredients taste so good.
Where: Al Tranvai, Piazza Torquato Tasso, San Frediano, Florence.
9) Ravioli with Cherry Tomatoes, Pecorino and Basil
Like most of the ravioli in Italy these were stuffed with ricotta and spinach. We loved these beautiful handmade pasta parcels served with a light sauce of cherry tomatoes, pecorino cheese and basil.
Where: L’Osteria, Piazza Angelio, Barga.
10) Sformato di Rucola
When we ordered this rocket sformato we didn’t know what to expect. It turns out a sformato is an Italian soufflé but less airy than the French kind, almost a mousse. It was wonderfully creamy, cheesy and melted in our mouths; pairing well with the tomato sauce.
Everything we ate at this upmarket restaurant in the countryside near Montecarlo was delicious, including an amazing bread basket with fluffy doughnut-like rolls (see the top photo).
Where: La Nina, Via San Martino, Montecarlo.
Choosing just ten favourite dishes is an almost impossible task as pretty much everything we ate in Tuscany was delicious. Here’s a special shout out to a few other tasty eats that we didn’t get photos of (too busy eating):
- Heavenly white chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce at Osteria del Vento, Montecarlo (everything at this restaurant was good too).
- Crema di Santa Fina – saffron cream and pine nut gelato at Gelateria della Piazza in San Gimignano.
- Gorgeous creamy homemade chocolate paired with vin santo at the Tuscan wine school in Siena.
- Extra virgin olive oil from Tenuta del Buonamico, Montecarlo – it’s liquid gold.
Where do you live – and eat? I live in Tuscany and must say that when I go abroad it’s not easy to find something good to eat. I used to spend summers in Edinburgh teaching and often went to an Indian restaurant as the only edible good provider :))
I am celiac and dairy free, will I be able to eat well in Italy? Suggestions for those dishes would be welcomed.
You should be able to eat well but it will help to learn the Italian phrases to explain what you can’t eat. You will likely have to ask them to adapt dishes for you (senza formaggio / without cheese, for example).
Our friend has written a gluten free guide: https://www.legalnomads.com/gluten-free/italy/
Wow, everything looks so delicious, but my favourite ones are pappa al pomodoro and ravioli with cherry tomatoes and pecorino.
Wow. I have to go back and try these. I didn’t even eat half of these. Have you been to Spannocchia farm in Tuscany to take a tour of their organic gardens then cook with the ingredients from them in their cooking class? I highly recommend it (link attached to comment).
We’re planning a trip to Italty, you just set a part of the intinerary. The food looks and sounds delicicious, apppreciate the advice.
Noooooo. Why oh why didn’t I read this before today?! We just came back from Siena and I’d have loved to try some of these places. At least we can try the places in Florence. Thanks, as always, for the tips.
I’m sure you are eating plenty of good stuff anyway :)
Thanks for the great website and posts. We’re spending a couple of months in Italy and taking a weekend trip to Siena later this morning. I remembered that you’d mentioned some restaurants in Siena and will go check some out. Very practical info, much appreciated.
Glad you enjoyed it. Have fun in Siena!
They all look delicious!
Oh dear… now officially starving!! :-)
Love the pics! I’m no foody but cooking with stale bread seems interesting and a good way to use it up. Waste not, want not and all that.
I love that I haven’t heard of some of these. They look delicious!
The panzanella and ribollita sound like my kinda dishes! Seriously, they both look absolutely delicious – especially the panzanella. Checking out the cooking post now, thanks for linking to it :)
Wow, that looks so good! I love Italian food! #’s 6, 8, and 9 especially sound delicious.
Italians are seriously the kings of the world when it comes to food!! Everything looks delicious.
mmmmm yummy!!! i crave italian!
Wow. This food looks great and the photos are awesome. I’m going to have to get some tips from you guys at TBU.
About the scarpaccia, the word means ‘worn out shoe’, but tastes nothing like a shoe (not that I’ve ever tried one). It originates from Camaiore, a town over the Alpi Apuane from the Garfagnana. The reason we included it in the cooking lesson is because that’s where Gabriella, the cooking teacher, was born ( 3 km from Camaiore). It’s not far away as the crow flies, but in Italy typical dishes are often different even from one village to the next.
I almost chipped a tooth trying to bite into the computer screen…
Haha!
Ugh these look sooooo good. I’m sitting here eating a granola bar and dreaming!
Love their creative use of stale bread. Everything looks delicious, especially that zucchini tart and the ravioli.
Oh my gosh, all of these dishes look amazing. I’m forwarding this post to a friend who’s thinking of a trip to Tuscany. This might seal the deal.
Such beautiful food. Looks like your stomachs had the trip of a lifetime! :)
That is certainly a good way to put it!
Arrabiata is one of my favourite things to eat, ever!! Erin x
So simple but so good…
I loved the food in Tuscany. I’ve got to admit though, I didn’t try many vegetarian dishes! ;) These all look delicious.
Glad you enjoyed the food too. The good thing about the veggie dishes (other than being tasty) is that they are usually much cheaper than the meat dishes for the secondo course.
No time for comments. Off to the kitchen. Thanks!
Haha! Did we make you hungry?
Reading this makes me want to hop on the next plane to Italy! Everything looks so delicious and like you, we had fantastic meals in every restaurant we went to in Tuscany. Your food posts are always so good – the photos are superb!
You know what Dani? We are about to book a flight back to Italy as we miss the food so much!